Amnesty International Film Festival

Amnesty International Nelson 10th Annual Film Festival - January 21st, 2012

Don Wright — 2012-01-05T18:27:31+01:00

Amnesty International Nelson 10^th Annual Film Festival

Saturday, January 21, 2010, Capitol Theatre, Nelson

Afternoon Showing Doors open at 1:00

1:30 pm Blood in the Mobile (Denmark, Germany, 82 minutes)

Did you know your mobile phone contributes to violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo? Danish director Frank Piasecki Poulsen takes on the Congolese military and warlords to gain access to Bisie, a militia-controlled mine that produces cassiterite, a tin oxide used in cell phones. This compelling documentary reveals a mineral trade plagued with violence and human exploitation. Poulsen takes his findings back to mobile phone giant Nokia, a company that nets up to $1.6 billion in profits annually. His hope is that Nokia will stand behind its claim that “Sustainability is in everything we do.” Winner of the Cinema for Peace award in Berlin, Blood in the Mobile brings to light important issues to consider in our race for connectivity. "Recommended" - The Toronto Star.

3:25 pm Children of War (Uganda, USA, 75 minutes)

Filmed in northern Uganda over a period of three years, Children of War is a unique and incandescent documentary which follows a group of former child soldiers as they escape the battlefield, enter the sanctuary of a rehabilitation center, and undergo a remarkable process of trauma therapy and emotional healing with the help of a heroic team of trauma counselors.

Best Feature: Artivist International Film Festival (Los Angeles)  Justice Award: Cinema for Peace (Berlin)

Evening Showing Doors open at 6:30

7: 00 pm When China Met Africa (UK-France, 75 minutes)

A historic gathering of over 50 African heads of state in Beijing reverberates in Zambia where the lives of three characters unfold. Mr Liu is one of thousands of Chinese entrepreneurs who have settled across the continent in search of new opportunities. He has just bought his fourth farm and business is booming. In northern Zambia, Mr Li, a project manager for a multinational Chinese company is upgrading Zambia's longest road. Pressure to complete the road on time intensifies when funds from the Zambian government start running out. Meanwhile Zambia's Trade Minister is on route to China to secure millions of dollars of investment. Through the intimate portrayal of these characters, the expanding footprint of a rising global power is laid bare - pointing to a radically different future, not just for Africa, but also for the world. Canadian premiere

 Winner, Best Filmmaker: Margaret Mead Film Festival (New York)

8:45 pm Cultures of Resistance (USA, 73 minutes)

Can music and dance be weapons of peace? On the eve of the Iraq war director Iara Lee embarked on a journey to better understand a world increasingly embroiled in conflict. She found graffiti and rap artists fighting government repression in Iran, monks protesting in Burma, musicians reaching out to slum kids in Brazil, women’s leaders in Rwanda, and hip-hop artists from Palestine, and more, all using art and creativity in the name of peace and justice.

Best Documentary on Human Rights Award: Steps International Film Festival (Ukraine)

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Tickets at the Capitol Theatre box office or online at www.capitoltheatre.bc.ca

$8 for each showing / $6 for students, seniors, fixed income

For more information, please contact Toshio Rahman at trahman@amnesty.ca

Audience Awards announced

Don Wright — 2011-12-15T19:44:54+01:00

The 16th Annual Amnesty International Film Festival ran in Vancouver in mid-November and organizers are pleased to announce the winners of the audience awards as follows:

Gold Audience Award: Aung San Suu Kyi: Lady of No Fear

Silver Audience Award: Children of War

Bronze Audience Award: The Price of Sex

Congratulations to these filmmakers, and thanks to everyone who contributed to 2011 AI Film Festivals across the country!

Countdown to 16th annual AI film festival in Vancouver

Don Wright — 2011-11-01T03:49:24+01:00

Every day the news brings us stories about the violation of human rights in places near and far. So why do so many governments suppress protest, deny democratic reform, and commit violence against women, men and children? For an inside look, plan now to attend the Amnesty International Film Festival, November 17-20 at SFU Harbour Centre Theatre, 515 West Hastings Street. This year the festival is a co-presentation of Amnesty International and the SFU School for International Studies. We are very pleased to be working together to present award-winning films that tell compelling stories about the most important issues of our time. The full program is posted at www.amnestyfilmfest.ca.

The films in this festival will take you to coltan mines deep in the earth below the DRC, onto the streets with the monks of Burma, and into the slums of South Africa. You will meet women’s rights activists in the Nicaraguan jungle and survivors of the detention centre at Guantanamo Bay. And you will get a peek behind the scenes in North Korea, Russia, China, and several corporate boardrooms. Like Amnesty International itself, the filmmakers behind these films are dedicated to shining a light on repression and injustice and making sure the world takes notice.

This festival also aims to inspire, and this year we are pleased to present a number of films that celebrate individuals and groups working for positive social change despite great challenges in places like Liberia, Guatemala, Burma, and the Middle East. We are especially pleased to bring back last year’s audience favourite, Pray the Devil Back to Hell, whose main subject, Leymah Gbowee, was one of three courageous women presented with the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize.

Most screenings will feature guest speakers, including some directors who will be joining us via Skype, and we will post updates to the website. Be sure to join us on Sunday when numerous non-government organizations will join us for a social action fair.

Film presentation: Amnesty! When They Are All Free

Don Wright — 2011-05-12T00:09:42+01:00

DOXA Documentary Film Festival (Vancouver)

Special presentation of Amnesty! When They Are All Free
Friday, May 13 at 4 pm (Pacific Cinematheque)

Amnesty International is celebrating its fiftieth anniversary this month. This independent and critical documentary brings together an extraordinary cast of interviewees, from Sting to Rowan Atkinson, from Sir Louis Blom Cooper, one of the founders, to Jack Straw, the British Home Secretary who released General Pinochet. They shed light on how Amnesty International has changed the world, and how the world has changed Amnesty International. Amnesty! When They Are All Free mixes contemporary events and Amnesty's history to reveal how a 'letter-writing organisation' has developed into one of the world's most influential NGOs. It portrays Amnesty's successes and failures over the decades, and the challenges it now faces as a multinational movement that is trying to hold its ground in a shifting human rights landscape.

Made with unprecedented access to Amnesty, the camera follows the new Secretary General Salil Shetty as he battles with the problems of prisoners in China and homophobia in Uganda. It also journeys with Amnesty's researchers into the devastation of Haiti and the tumult of Egypt's elections and subsequent revolution.

Amnesty! When They Are All Free poses the fundamental question: has the human rights movement been able to hold back mankind's capacity for atrocity? North American premiere. Admission by donation for this film only; discussion to follow. http://www.doxafestival.ca/festival/films/amnesty_when_they_are_all_free.html

Amnesty film nights in British Columbia

Don Wright — 2011-05-05T23:13:48+01:00

Blood in the Mobile (Victoria)

Amnesty International Victoria and Congo Rising present Blood in the Mobile, a documentary on the connection between our phones and the civil war in the Congo from director Frank Piasecki Poulsen. Thursday May 5 at 7pm at the UVic Engineering and Computer Science Building Room 108.

Afghan Star (Vernon)

Amnesty International Vernon presents the award-winning Afghan Star on Monday, May 9 at the Vernon & District Performing Arts Centre. Film begins at 7 pm and admission is by donation.

After 30 years of war and Taliban rule, pop culture has returned to Afghanistan. Afghan Star - a Pop Idol-style TV series – is searching the country for the next generation of music stars. Over 2000 people are auditioning and even 3 women have come forward to try their luck. But in a troubled country like Afghanistan, even music is controversial. Considered sacrilegious by the Mujahiddeen and outright banned by the Taliban (1996-2001), music has come to symbolize freedom for the youth. While the conflict still rages, many of those taking part are literally risking their lives.

This event is hosted by Amnesty International’s Vernon group, and also includes representatives from Grannies a Gogo, the Palestinian Study Group, as well as a display by Kal Secondary’s international students. For more information, visit www.amnestyvernon.ca.

Is a world without water inevitable?

Don Wright — 2011-03-14T18:21:49+01:00

VANCOUVER: For the first time in human history, most of the world’s population lives in cities, yet access to fresh water is an everyday struggle for more than one billion people. To mark World Water Day, Tuesday March 22, Amnesty International and Oxfam Canada are screening the award-winning film “A World Without Water” and presenting a panel discussion on the right to water.

The event will take place at Vancouver Community College downtown campus, 250 West Pender Street, in theatre room 112. Doors open at 6.30 pm and the film will begin at 7 pm. Admission is by donation but no one will be turned away.

“A World without Water” is the story of several communities and peoples in India, Bolivia, Africa and the United States. All face the issue of privatization of their water supply or the outright denial of their right to access fresh water and adequate sanitation.

The 76 minute film introduces viewers to Lino in Bolivia, Christina in Tanzania, and Betty in the USA, all of whom face difficult living conditions due to the rising costs of water. The movie also features farmers in India who have to “share” their water with Coca-Cola, while the company steadily drains local aquifers complicating local agriculture production. The film vividly highlights the approaching water crisis and the paradoxical use of natural resources throughout the world.

Following the main feature, there will be the local premiere of a new short film on the right to water produced by youth members of the Lubicon First Nation of northern Alberta. The evening will end with a panel presentation and audience discussion. For more information contact Don Wright at dwright@amnesty.ca.

International Women's Day film night in Vancouver

Don Wright — 2011-03-07T06:21:30+01:00

Amnesty International and Oxfam Canada are pleased to present a very special screening of A Powerful Noise on International Women’s Day, March 8, at Langara College, 100 West 49th Avenue, Vancouver. A Powerful Noise takes you inside the lives of three women – a girls' education crusader from Mali, an HIV-positive widow from Vietnam, and a peacemaking survivor of the war in Bosnia – who each overcome seemingly insurmountable odds to bring lasting solutions to their communities. The evening will also feature guest speakers and the short film Sisters on the Planet: Sahena’s Story. Doors will open at 6:30 pm, with the program getting under way at 7 pm. Room 122A. Admission is by donation; no one will be turned away.

Nelson hosts Amnesty International Film Festival

Don Wright — 2011-01-10T21:52:08+01:00

The 9th annual Nelson Amnesty International Film Festival is Saturday, January 29.

The festival opens with an afternoon double bill that offers contrast and food for thought. At 1:30 Nero’s Guests, filmed in India in 2009 follows a Rural Affairs editor of a Hindu newspaper as he examines the story behind the almost 200,000 farmers who have committed suicide in the last decade.

Cut to The Yes Men Fix the World at 3pm, a two-time festival award winner in which two gonzo political activists infiltrate the world of big business, their outrageous pranks highlighting corporate greed. By posing as top executives of the corporations they hate, Yes Men Mike Bonnano and Andy Bichlbaum don thrift-store suits, lie their way into conferences, and parody their corporate nemeses, from Dow Chemical to Exxon.

Saturday evening’s fare begins at 7pm with H2Oil, an examination of the downstream effects of the billion-dollar Athabasca Tar Sands industry, particularly as it impacts the community of Fort Chipewyan. When alarms are raised about occurrences of rare cancers, industry and government cover-ups are exposed.

At 8:45pm Pray the Devil Back to Hell chronicles the story of courageous Liberian women and their crusade to end a bloody civil war and mend a shattered country in a film that honours strength, perseverance, and grassroots activism.

Tickets, available at the Capitol Theatre box office or online at www.capitoltheatre.bc.ca, are just $6 for either afternoon or evening presentations.

Amnesty International film festivals continue through weekend

Don Wright — 2010-11-20T04:50:56+01:00

Amnesty International film festivals in Vancouver, Victoria, and Toronto continue through the weekend with a wide variety of award-winning films that tell compelling stories about some of the most important issues of our time -- head for www.amnestyfilmfest.ca for a link to all three festival websites and a full description of all films and guest speakers.

Sneak preview of new film to replace unavailable film

Don Wright — 2010-11-15T18:50:01+01:00

Due to unforeseen circumstances, The Dammed, scheduled for Friday, November 19 at 4:30 pm, is not available, so we are pleased to offer a special pre-release screening of a brand new film by award-winning filmmaker Hossein Fazeli entitled Legacy of Nonviolent Struggle in Iran.

This film takes a look at the two most recent mass movements in Iran’s history: the 1979 Revolution that brought the clerics to power, and the 2009 mass protests, known as the Green Movement, that threatened the foundation of clerical rule. The film presents interviews with Ivan Marovic, a founder of OTPOR, the Serbian movement that ended the rule of Slobodan Milosevic, and Mohsen Sazgara, a founding member of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, among other activists.

Tickets will be available at the door and the director will be in attendance. This is a matinee screening, all seats are $7.

The full program for this festival is posted at van.amnestyfilmfest.ca.

Gala Opening in Vancouver one week away

Don Wright — 2010-11-10T20:50:24+01:00

The Gala Opening for 15th annual Amnesty International Film Festival in Vancouver is just one week away. Everything is set for Thursday, November 18, including a feature performance by The Vancouver Raging Grannies and poet Fatou Wurie, a special greeting from festival founder Allison Urowitz, and the Vancouver premiere of Sounds Like a Revolution. Following the film screening, director Summer Preney will respond to audience questions via Skype from Toronto. The Gala Opening is also an artist's reception for "(Re)Presenting Protest", a unique exhibition of protest art in the lobby of the Vancity Theatre. The exhibition features everything from small paintings and prints through to a monumental 20x30 foot mural used by activists in Vancouver and Toronto to protest the impact of the tar sands development on the environment and human health. All seats $45, which includes a $30 donation to Amnesty International. Advance tickets online and at the door; the full festival features more than 20 award-winning films.

Vancouver preparing for 15th anniversary

Don Wright — 2010-09-01T18:22:14+01:00

Amnesty International’s annual human rights film festival turns 15 this year with a gala opening, high school screenings, more than 20 award-winning films from around the world, and an exhibition of protest art to keep people in the mood while waiting for the next film to start. Film highlights include War Don Don, which tells the story of the sensational trial of former Sierra Leone rebel commander Issa Sesay; Breaking the Silence: Burma’s Resistance, which focuses on the fate of populations displaced by the military regime; and Nero’s Guests, about the alarming rate of suicide among rural farmers in India. Other titles include The Devil Operation, Kamenge – Northern Quarters, and Ana 27, a short film on violence against women. In honour of the festival’s 15th anniversary, a film from the first festival that focused on the proposal to dam the Yangtze River, The Dammed, will be screened and followed by a panel discussion on the impact of the now finished Three Gorges Dam. The festival runs November 18-21 at Vancity Theatre. Detailed program information, festival passes, and individual tickets will be available after October 1.

Film Screening: The Yes Men Fix the World

Don Wright — 2010-05-01T19:42:06+01:00

MAY 10 – FILM SCREENING: THE YES MEN FIX THE WORLD (Vernon)Amnesty International Vernon presents the award-winning film “The Yes Men Fix the World” at the Vernon & District Performing Arts Centre, 7 pm start. The Yes Men have an unusual hobby: posing as top executives of corporations they hate. Armed with nothing but thrift-store suits, the Yes Men lie their way into business conferences and parody their corporate targets in ever more extreme ways -- basically doing everything that they can to wake up their audiences to the danger of letting greed run our world. Admission by donation, suggested amount $10.

Film Screening: Enemies of the People

Don Wright — 2010-05-01T19:40:40+01:00

May 9 – Film Screening: Enemies of the People (Vancouver)
Join Amnesty International for this special DOXA Film Festival screening of “Enemies of the People”, Sunday, May 9 at 6:30 pm at Pacific Cinematheque, 1131 Howe Street. Film description: On September 19, 2007, Nuon Chea (known as Brother Number Two, second in command to Pol Pot in the Khmer Rouge) was arrested and charged with war crimes. For more than five years prior to Chea’s arrest, a journalist named Thet Sambath had been visiting the old man, trying to understand how the Khmer Rouge had decided to kill more than two million Cambodians, the so-called “Enemies of the People.” Among the millions lost to the killing fields were most of the members of Thet Sambath’s own family. Sambath and Rob Lemkin’s film bears remarkable witness to one of the greatest atrocities of the 20th century by going straight to the people who ordered the killing done and to those who actually carried out the unspeakable level of atrocity. Against the powerful beauty of the Cambodian countryside, Thet interviews the men who were charged with murdering countless men, women and children. Mostly illiterate farmers and ordinary foot-soldiers, they helped turn their own country into a virtual Golgotha, filled with unmarked mass graves. Special Jury Prize for Documentary, Sundance World Cinema. http://doxafestival.ca/festival/films/enemies_of_the_people.html

Victoria AI Film Festival opens tonight

Don Wright — 2009-11-20T18:17:25+01:00

The Victoria edition of the Amnesty International Film Festival opens tonight (November 20) with two films and guest speakers, and continues with films and guest speakers Saturday and Sunday nights at the David Lam Auditoriun on the UVic campus. A special hightlight is Saturday night's guest speaker: Alex Neve, Secretary General of AI Canada.

For a complete program go to www.amnestyfilmfest.ca

Vancouver audience award winners announced

Don Wright — 2009-11-20T18:12:12+01:00

The Vancouver audience has voted, the ballots have been counted, and the winners of this year's Audience Choice Awards can be annou nced!

Gold Audience Award: The Yes Men Fix the World

Silver Audience Award: A Little Bit of So Much Truth

Bronze Audience Award: Burma VJ

We notice Burma VJ has also just made the short list of nominees for Oscar for Best Documentary.

Congratulations to these films, and all the others that were highly rated by our audience!

Less than a week to AIFF 2009 in Vancouver and Toronto

Don Wright — 2009-11-06T21:36:09+01:00

We're less than a week away from Amnesty International film festivals in Vancouver and Toronto. Mark your calendar and plan now to attend - these are award-winning films that span the globe and stir the conscience. For the full program and dates and locations for future film nights and fetsivals across the Canada, visit www.amnestyfilmfest.ca

Vancouver 2009 program to feature gala opening

Don Wright — 2009-10-11T00:37:47+01:00

Protecting human rights rarely involves humour, and our annual film festival has never presented anything even remotely funny. But along comes The Yes Men Fix the World and we couldn’t resist. So not only are we opening with this zany true story, but we’re turning it into a gala opening – complete with live music, art exhibition, and reception – what better way to celebrate two gonzo political activists who are serious about revealing corporate irresponsibility!

Think mistaken identities, profit per death calculators, DOW Chemical, Exxon, and Haliburton, and you begin to get the picture. Tickets for the Opening Night Gala are just $45 and we expect it will sell out well before the start of the festival, so do purchase your tickets early to avoid disappointment!

The remainder of the program brings us back to the harsh realities facing untold millions of people around the world and the ongoing and widespread abuse of human rights and loss of dignity. Frequently the abuse is at the hands of the authorities, well described in films such as The Stolen Child, A Massacre Foretold, The Judge and the General, and The Reckoning. Increasingly however, violations are the result of corporate greed and irresponsibility, as aptly detailed in The Blood of the Kouan Kouan, Justicia Now, and Stolen Childhoods. As always, we try to balance films highlighting the abuse of human rights with films that celebrate the courage of brave individuals resisting repression. This category includes films such as Taking Root: The Vision of Wangari Maathai, War Child, Remnants of a War, and A Little Bit of So Much Truth. They serve to remind us that it is possible for individuals and groups who speak out to make a difference.

This is our 14th annual Amnesty International Film Festival in Vancouver, and we are proud to be able to present a diverse collection of award-winning films that we believe will inform, inspire, and move you to act. See the full program at www.amnestyfilmfest.ca.

Save these dates for start of 09/10 film festival season!

Don Wright — 2009-09-07T23:17:59+01:00

The Amnesty International Film Festival season gets underway every November with opening festivals in Vancouver, Toronto, and Victoria. More than a dozen festivals and film nights follow throughout the season, which stretches into May each year.

The Vancouver and Toronto festivals take place on the same weekend this year, November 12-15. Programs are now being finalized - watch this space for program announcements in October. The same goes for the Victoria AI Film Festival, set for November 20-22.

The films under consideration come from all over the world and tell important stories about human rights violations and the individuals and groups that are working to stop abuses and seek justice for victims and their communities.

If your Amnesty group would like to host a film night or a full-fledged human rights film festival, contact Don Wright at dwright@amnesty.ca.

DOXA film festival to present Devil's Bargain

Don Wright — 2009-05-22T21:56:17+01:00

Amnesty International is pleased to announce that we are the community partner for the Canadian premiere of Devil’s Bargain: A Journey into the Small Arms Trade, screening May 28 at 6:30 pm at Vancity Theatre,1181 Seymour Street, Vancouver.

When 200,000 AK47s go missing from Bosnia stockpiles and are flown on illegal flights to “who-knows-where”, activists push initiatives to curb the trade at the UN. But the call for a treaty similar to the Land Mines Treaty is blocked. Through interviews, archival footage, and material she shot herself around the world, Director Shelley Saywell makes a passionate plea against the weapons trade.

Film details and tickets at:
http://www.doxafestival.ca/festival/films/devils_bargain.html

Amnesty International Film Fesival - Nelson, BC

Don Wright — 2009-02-01T19:54:38+01:00

The Seventh Annual Nelson
AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
February 6 and 7, 2009

Studio 80 - Selkirk College
10th Street Campus, Nelson
Admission: $5 at the door

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 6
7 pm -- Opening Reception
7:30 pm (all seats $5.00)

A World Without Water
Brian Woods / UK / 2006 / 78 m
This film investigates the future of water, and paints a disturbing picture of a world running out of the most basic of life’s essentials. The struggle for water and battle for its ownership is explored through compelling stories of families in Bolivia, Detroit, Dar Es Salaam and Rajestan. The film explores conflicts concerning the future of water and shows how even those living in the relatively water-rich UK hold the survival of the planet in their hands.

The Iron Wall
Mohammed Alatar / Palestine / 2006 / 50 m
The Iron Wall describes the aims, timeline, size, and population of the settlement movement, and its impact on the peace process. This film also touches on the latest project to make the settlements a permanent fact on the ground - the wall that Israel is building in the West Bank and its impact on the Palestinian’s peoples.

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 7
Matinees (up to 3 films only $5.00)

A Promise to the Dead: The Exile Jouney of Ariel Dorfman
Peter Raymont / Canada / 2007 / 91 m
Acclaimed documentarian Peter Raymont follows celebrated writer Ariel Dorfman during an emotionally-charged return visit to Chile. Personal and political, the film boasts startling archival footage and heartbreaking contemporary sequences as Dorfman deals with the past. The writer still garners enormous respect in Chile. But, as he and the film crew visit familiar but eerie sites, no amount of local support can erase painful recollections from the past. Pinochet escaped without ever having to face his accusers in court. Dorfman and other survivors of Chile’s dictatorship struggle with their memories and grieve for lost relatives, friends and neighbours.

2:45 pm
The Greatest Silence: Rape in the Congo
Lisa F. Jackson / USA / 2007 / 76 m
This extraordinary film, shot in war zones of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), shows how sexual violence is used as a weapon of war. Tens of thousands of women and girls have been systematically kidnapped, raped, mutilated and tortured by soldiers from foreign militias and the Congolese army.

4:30 pm
Fire Under the Snow
Makoto Sasa / Japan-USA / 2008 / 75 m
Palden Gyatso, a Buddhist monk since childhood, was arrested by the Chinese Communist Army in 1959. He spent 33 years in prison for the “crime” of demonstrating peacefully. He was starved and tortured, and watched as friends and family were displaced, jailed or killed under Chinese occupation. Despite this, Gyatso’s spirit remained intact and, in a life that speaks to us all, he still actively campaigns for human rights. This film explores an extraordinary life and at the same time raises critical questions about human security, civil liberties, and cultural expression.

7 pm (double bill - all seats $5.00)

Justice Without Borders
Amnesty International / USA / 2007 / 36m
A film about the global movement seeking justice and accountability for prepetrators of the most grave human rights abuses.

Triage: Dr. James Orbinski’s Humanitarian Dilemma
Patrick Reed / Canada / 2007 / 88 m
Triage is the ultimate humanitarian nightmare. Racing against time with limited resources, relief workers are forced to make split-second decisions. Who gets treatment, food, a place to live? Who is left to die? This film follows Dr. James Orbinski on journeys to lands and people whose life-and-death struggles marked him forever. As Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) President, Orbinski accepted the 1999 Nobel Peace Prize on their behalf. The film crew accompanied the doctor to Somalia and Rwanda, visits genocide sites and and highlights dilemmas confronted by humanitarian organizations and workers.

Amnesty International Film Night - Kaslo, BC

Don Wright — 2009-01-27T23:27:15+01:00

Amnesty International Film Night
The Langham Cultural Centre
447 A Avenue, Kaslo, BC
Friday, February 13
Reception at 7 pm / films at 7:30 pm
All seats $5

The Iron Wall
Mohammed Alatar / Palestine / 2006 / 50 m
The Iron Wall describes the aims, timeline, size, and population of the settlement movement, and its impact on the peace process. This film also touches on the latest project to make the settlements a permanent fact on the ground - the wall that Israel is building in the West Bank and its impact on the Palestinian people.

Fire Under the Snow
Makoto Sasa / Japan-USA / 2008 / 75 m
Palden Gyatso, a Buddhist monk since childhood, was arrested by the Chinese Communist Army in 1959. He spent 33 years in prison for the “crime” of demonstrating peacefully. He was starved and tortured, and watched as friends and family were displaced, jailed or killed under Chinese occupation. Despite this, Gyatso’s spirit remained intact and, in a life that speaks to us all, he still actively campaigns for human rights. This film explores an extraordinary life and at the same time raises critical questions about human security, civil liberties, and cultural expression.

Amnesty International Film Night - Castlegar, BC

Don Wright — 2009-01-25T19:26:35+01:00

Amnesty International Film Night
Castlegar & District Public Library
1005 3rd Street, Castlegar, BC
Wednesday, February 4, starting at 5:30 pm
Guest speaker: Don Wright, Amnesty International
Admission by donation - everyone welcome!

Stolen Sisters
Antonio Hrynchuk / Canada / 2007 / 43 min
Stolen Sisters is a haunting perspective on grief experienced by relatives and friends searching for missing Aboriginal family members. This film takes viewers over rolling Saskatchewan farmland, into small towns on Vancouver Island, and onto the streets of Vancouver’s downtown eastside. The story follows a single family, their community and their heartbreaking search. As search techniques become more spirited and determined, the film exposes structural racism and raises important questions about police training and operations.

Triage: Dr. James Orbinski’s Humanitarian Dilemma
Patrick Reed / Canada / 2007 / 88 min
Triage is the ultimate humanitarian nightmare. Racing against time with limited resources, relief workers are forced to make split-second decisions. Who gets treatment, food, a place to live? Who is left to die? This film follows Dr. James Orbinski on journeys to lands and people whose life-and-death struggles marked him forever. As Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) President, Orbinski accepted the 1999 Nobel Peace Prize on their behalf. He was a field doctor during the Somali famine and the Rwandan genocide. The film crew accompanied the doctor to Somalia and Rwanda, visits genocide sites and and highlights dilemmas confronted by humanitarian organizations and workers.

Amnesty International Film Night - Rossland, BC

Don Wright — 2009-01-25T19:23:24+01:00

Amnesty International Film Night
Rossland Miner’s Hall
1765 Columbia Ave, Rossland BC
Sunday, February 1, starting at 5:30 pm

The Greatest Silence: Rape in the Congo
Lisa F. Jackson / USA / 2007 / 76 min
This extraordinary film, shot in war zones of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), shows how sexual violence is used as a weapon of war. Tens of thousands of women and girls have been systematically kidnapped, raped, mutilated and tortured by soldiers from foreign militias and the Congolese army.

A World Without Water
Brian Woods / UK / 2006 / 78min
This film investigates the future of water, and paints a disturbing picture of a world running out of the most basic of life's essentials. The struggle for water and battle for its ownership is explored through compelling stories of families in Bolivia, Detroit, Dar Es Salaam and Rajestan. The film explores conflicts concerning the future of water and shows how even those living in the relatively water-rich UK hold the survival of the planet in their hands

Triage: Dr. James Orbinski’s Humanitarian Dilemma
Patrick Reed / Canada / 2007 / 88 min
Triage is the ultimate humanitarian nightmare. Racing against time with limited resources, relief workers are forced to make split-second decisions. Who gets treatment, food, a place to live? Who is left to die? This film follows Dr. James Orbinski on journeys to lands and people whose life-and-death struggles marked him forever. As Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) President, Orbinski accepted the 1999 Nobel Peace Prize on their behalf. He was a field doctor during the Somali famine and the Rwandan genocide. The film crew accompanied the doctor to Somalia and Rwanda, visits genocide sites and and highlights dilemmas confronted by humanitarian organizations and workers.

Abbotsford AI Film Festival January 20, 2009

Don Wright — 2009-01-15T17:54:18+01:00

The Seventh Annual Abbotsford
AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
University of the Fraser Valley
Abbotsford campus (Rm B101)
Admission by donation – everyone welcome

The Price of Silence
5 pm. A new Amnesty International short film that features musicians from around the world performing on stage at the United Nations, in celebration of the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on December 10, 2008.

A Promise to the Dead: The Exile Journey of Ariel Dorfman
5:10 pm. Acclaimed Canadian filmmaker Peter Raymont who follows celebrated writer Ariel Dorfman during an emotionally-charged return visit to Chile. Personal and political, the film boasts startling archival footage and heartbreaking contemporary sequences as Dorfman deals with the past. The writer still garners enormous respect in Chile. But, as he and the film crew visit familiar but eerie sites, no amount of local support can erase painful recollections from the past. Pinochet escaped without ever having to face his accusers in court. Dorfman and other survivors of Chile’s dictatorship struggle with their memories and grieve for lost relatives, friends and neighbours.

The Unwinking Gaze
7 pm. An intimate portrayal of the Dalai Lama from UK director Joshua Dugdale. Tibetans are typically required to steer an uneasy course between celebrating their own culture and often bizarre Chinese notions of “modernization.” This film shows the daily struggle of the Dalai Lama as he strikes a balance between Buddhism and the realpolitik needed to placate China. The director takes viewers into the working world of the Dalai Lama who tries to maintain peace while confronting brutality.

Triage: Dr. James Orbinski’s Humanitarian Dilemma
8:30 pm. Triage is the ultimate humanitarian nightmare. Racing against time with limited resources, relief workers are forced to make split-second decisions. Who gets treatment, food, a place to live? Who is left to die? This film follows Dr. James Orbinski on journeys to lands and people whose life-and-death struggles marked him forever. As Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) President, Orbinski accepted the 1999 Nobel Peace Prize on their behalf. He was a field doctor during the Somali famine and the Rwandan genocide. The film crew accompanied the doctor to Somalia and Rwanda, visits genocide sites and highlights dilemmas confronted by humanitarian organizations and workers.

Audience selects award winners

Don Wright — 2008-11-25T04:50:39+01:00

Vancouver audiences have voted and the results are in. Selected the winner of the Gold Audience Award was Triage: Dr. James Orbinski's Humanitarian Dilemma; winner of the Silver Audience Award was John Pilger’s The War on Democracy; the Bronze Audience Award went to No End in Sight. Congratulations to these films and all the filmmakers involved involved in these and the other excellent films featured this year. Watch for these and other films coming to a community near you! If you are interested in organizing an Amnesty International film fetsival or film night in your community, contact Don Wright at dwright@amnesty.ca.

Several directors to join audience in Vancouver

Don Wright — 2008-11-10T21:49:48+01:00

Several directors and film subjects will be joining the audience this weekend at the Amnesty International Film Festival in Vancouver. Directors in attendance include Carla Garapedian (Screamers), Bernadine Mellis (Forest for the Trees), Gregory Lassalle (KM207 By the Roadside), Nevie Owens (Mexiphobia), and Sharron Bates (Strong Coffee). Felix Mora, the subject of Memories of a Dreamer: The Journey of a Political Prisoner will also be in attendance. Other films will feature guest speakers who will respond to the film or tell their own stories. Gladys Radek, who recently walked across Canada to raise awareness of the number of Aboriginal women who have gone missing, will speak following the Thursday evening screening of Stolen Sisters. Lee Gordon will answer questions following the screening of Bridge Across the Wadi on Saturday, and Carmen Rodriguez will lead discussion following A Promise to the Dead: The Exile Journey of Ariel Dorfman on Sunday. The full program may be downloaded from the sidebar on this page.

Two films shortlisted for AI Germany award

Don Wright — 2008-11-06T18:54:44+01:00

Two of the films featured in the upcoming Amnesty International Film Festival in Vancouver have been shortlisted for an award presented by AI Germany during the Berlin International Film Festival. The two films, Fire Under the Snow and War Child, are among a dozen selected for consideration for the award, which recognizes excellence in filmmaking on human rights issues and the activists who make a difference.

Memories of a Dreamer wins Best Documentary in Spain

Don Wright — 2008-10-31T16:32:04+01:00

Congratulations to producer/director Alisson Larrea, whose film Memories of a Dreamer – The Journey of a Political Prisoner received the award for Best Documentary at the Marbella International Film Festival in Spain. It was among 40 films selected to be screened at the festival from 1,000 submissions from 52 countries. According to Alisson, this was the tenth festival to showcase the documentary, after presentations across Canada, the United States, and Colombia with very positive responses from the audience. In a media release, Alisson said receiving this award in Spain was quite an honour given that this audience is quite demanding. “They are used to seeing exceptional material. Our production team is extremely happy to have achieved this milestone.”

Memories of a Dreamer is a first hand account of the hardship suffered by a political prisoner under Chile 's cruel and inhumane dictatorship following a coup in September 1973. More than 30 years later, Félix Mora relives the shocking details of the human rights abuses he suffered, his escape from the dictatorship, and the challenges he faced as an exile in Italy and Canada.

Following the awards ceremony, Felix emphasized that “receiving the award was a memorable moment as hundreds of people at the awards ceremony gave a standing ovation when Memories of a Dreamer was announced as the best documentary.” He dedicates the award to his family, to the fallen comrades, to those who lived under the dictatorship and to all Chilean exiles who “fought for their lives and that of their country; while accomplishing so much in new societies without forgetting their roots.” Felix said the documentary “is a humble way of paying tribute to the thousands of Chilean exiles who never gave up and whose solidarity with their country must always be part of the Chilean history”.

Memories of a Dreamer screens at the Amnesty International Film Festival in Vancouver on Sunday, November 16 at 2:15 pm in a double bill with KM207 – By the Roadside.

To view the full program, click here

Free public forum: can Hollywood do human rights?

Don Wright — 2008-10-30T05:45:08+01:00

The Amnesty International Film Festival has organized a free public forum on the role Hollywood and other mainstream film producers play in raising awareness of human rights issues from around the world. The forum takes place on Wednesday, November 12 at the West End Community Centre, 870 Denman Street, Vancouver, and begins at 7:30 pm. Everyone is welcome to attend.

The forum will feature Katherine Monk, who has been a national movie writer for CanWest News Service since 2003 and is a regular contributor to CBC Radio One's Definitely Not the Opera, and Brian McKeown, an award-winning writer, director and producer who has worked in documentary, fiction and news for public and private broadcasters for over 20 years.

Come hear more about Hollywood’s record when it comes to dealing with human rights, and be ready to offer your favourite example of the good, the bad, and the ugly when it comes to Hollywood films that expose human rights violations or celebrate human rights defenders.

This forum precedes the 13th annual Amnesty International Film Festival, November 13-16 at Vancity Theatre. Full festival program available for download at www.amnesty.ca/filmfest.

For more information contact Don Wright: dwright@amnesty.ca

Featured film wins two Gemini Awards

Don Wright — 2008-10-26T15:31:35+01:00

The Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television has just announced the winners of the 23rd anniversary Gemini Awards in a variety of categories, including documentary film making. We are pleased to note that one of the films we’re featuring in the Amnesty International Film Festival in Vancouver was selected for two awards. A Promise To The Dead: The Exile Journey of Ariel Dorfman is set to receive both the Donald Brittain Award for Best Social/Political Documentary Program, and the Gemini award for Best Original Music Score for a Documentary Program or Series – congratulations to Peter Raymont, Mark Korven and everyone at White Pine Pictures. The Geminis celebrate excellence in Canadian English-language television, acknowledging Canada’s triumphs in 96 craft, program and performance award categories. The award ceremony will be broadcast on November 28.

Amnesty International Toronto announces 2008 program

Don Wright — 2008-10-20T17:10:24+01:00

Amnesty International Toronto has announced its third annual Real Awareness Film Festival -- four days of some of the best human rights documentary and feature films shown around the world, November 13-16. The 2008 program features compelling films, guest speakers, panel discussions, opportunities to take action on a variety of human rights issues and much, much more. Admission is pay-what-you-can at the door (the suggested donation $5). It all takes place at the National Film Board Cinema, 150 John Street, Toronto. For more info on the festival, films and schedule please call 416 363 9933 ext.33 or go to www.aito.ca/reelawareness

Vancouver 2008 program now posted

Don Wright — 2008-10-14T22:03:21+01:00

We're very pleased to announce the program for the 2008 Amnesty International Film Festival is now posted in the sidebar on this page. In the program you will find the biggest Amnesty International Film Festival in our 13 year history, complete with a main screen series and a side program in the production room upstairs at the Vancity Theatre. You will also find that this year the festival features two North American premieres, a dozen Canadian premieres, and seven Vancouver premieres. Productions range from short films on Amnesty International campaigns on through to independent films that have garnered a variety of international awards, including two that were nominated for an Academy Award in the Best Documentary category. Join us for four days of outstanding cinema with a social conscience!

Festival Program: Vancouver: 13-16 November 2008 (pdf)

Fall 2008 film festival season programs coming soon!

Don Wright — 2008-09-26T06:37:27+01:00

Programs are being set for Amnesty International Film Festivals this November in Vancouver, Toronto, Victoria, and Whitehorse, and for film events in the new year. Filmmakers around the world have submitted excellent, award-winning films that reveal human rights violations at home and abroad, and celebrate those individuals and groups who are making a difference. Please return to this page in the very near future for complete details for these exciting Amnesty film events that bring important human rights stories to life on the big screen. If your Amnesty group would like to host a film night or festival in your community, download the planning kit on this page, or e-mail Don Wright at dwright@amnesty.ca.

See you at an Amnesty International Film Festival near you!

War Dance: next stop Vernon, BC

Don Wright — 2008-04-03T18:47:16+01:00

With peace negotiations nearing a final signing, there is much focus on Northern Uganda and the promise of an end to more than 20 years of violence and human rights violations. To help us understand the conflict, and the impact it has had on children, Amnesty International Vernon is pleased to present the Academy Award-nominated film WAR DANCE on Monday, April 21, at the Vernon and District Performing Arts Centre, 3800-33rd Street, Vernon. The film will begin at 7 pm. Admission by donation, everyone welcome! For information on the film go to www.wardancethemovie.com.

War Dance to screen in Chilliwack

Don Wright — 2008-03-28T15:50:39+01:00

The Amnesty International Chilliwack action circle is presenting the Academy Award-nominated film WAR DANCE on Monday, March 31, in the theatre (Building D) on campus at the University College of the Fraser Valley. The evening begins at 6:30 pm with a presentation from me on current and upcoming AI campaigns. The film will begin at about 6:45 pm. Following the film, I will update the audience on the situation in Uganda, and we will hear from a guest speaker from Canadian Food for the Hungry, which has projects in Uganda and elsewhere in Africa. Admission by donation, everyone welcome! For information on the film go to www.wardancethemovie.com.

Call to filmmakers!

Don Wright — 2008-02-15T21:26:02+01:00

Every year, filmmakers send a remarkable selection of films to our office for possible inclusion in one or more of our annual film festivals. We are open to documentary, artistic, and dramatic films that depict some aspect of human rights - the challenges and the successes - involving individuals, groups, and movements of people, and from a few minutes in length to two hours.

If you are a filmmaker, or know a filmmaker who is working on or has completed a film that might fit into our festival, please refer to the entry form in the column to the right. Our annual deadline for entries is May 31. Send us your films!

War Dance nominated for Academy Award

Don Wright — 2008-02-13T21:16:13+01:00

The film War Dance has been nominated for an Academy Award for best documentary. This is a film that has won many awards over the past year, including our own Gold Audience Award at the AI film festival in Vancouver in November. Our selection committee is particularly pleased because it shows that documentary films can not only tell important stories about the struggle for human rights and dignity, but can do so in a way that moves hearts and minds. We wish War Dance well!

For the latest on War Dance, go to:

http://www.wardancethemovie.com/

Sharing important stories on the road

Don Wright — 2008-02-01T20:27:46+01:00

I'm behind in keeping this blog up to date while I'm on the road - three times in a row my laptop crashed while writing posts! Nevertheless, we continue to attract good audiences to hear important stories about human rights through the powerful medium of film.

Since the Abbotsford film night, I had a chance to participate in the opening night of an AI film festival at Quest University, a brand-new facility high in the mountains overlooking Squamish, BC. About half the student population and many people from the area attended, for some their first visit to campus.

I then headed for Castlegar for our annual film night, and talked to several people about starting a new Amnesty action circle there. Tonight I'm heading over to Nelson for the opening night of the sixth annual AI film festival in that community. When I tour with the films, I often speak at high schools and to college classes, both of which I'm doing today - talking about human rights and the important work that Amnesty members do. It's likely that as a result of this trip to the Kootenays we'll be able to etsablish two new action cirlces and at least one new high school group.

Abbotsford film festival draws its biggest crowd in 6 years

Don Wright — 2008-01-29T23:21:08+01:00

The second half of the 2007/2008 film festival season got off to a great start with more than 150 students and public viewing one, two, three or all four films in the lecture theatre on the Abbotsford campus of the University College of the Fraser Valley (UCFV). This was the sixth film festival hosted by Abbotsford Group 163, in collaboration with the UCFV student group. Also in the audience were members of the Chilliwack and Mission Amnesty groups – the Chilliwack group has decided to host a film night themselves, March 31 on the UCFV campus in Chilliwack. As soon as the program is set it will be posted to the menu just to the right of this blog.

Just a few days later, a four-day AI film festival got underway at Quest University, a brand-new facility perched high on the hill overlooking Squamish, BC. About half the student population and many local residents attended the opening night screening.

The films next head for the Kootenays, with a film night at the Castlegar Public Library and a two-day film event at Selkirk College in Nelson – both programs are posted on this page. Watch for new programs to be posted as host groups settle on dates and film selections.

Film Festival season takes a break - see you in the new year!

Don Wright — 2007-12-11T18:34:30+01:00

The fall portion of the Amnesty International Film Festival season came to a close with a very successful event in Whitehorse. Approximately 235 audience members enjoyed three days of films, and on the Sunday, the inaugaral meeting of a new Whitehorse Action Circle was held. The new group will provide a way for people to engage in human rights activism with support from the regional office in Vancouver and the head office in Ottawa.

Watch this space for announcements regarding film events in the new year. Cheers!

Small but enthusiatic crowd for Haines Junction film night

Don Wright — 2007-11-23T18:24:06+01:00

We had a small but enthusiatic audience for our film night in Haines Junction in the Yukon territory last night, I think the most northern and western location for our film festival yet. Tonight we open in Whitehorse, in the Alpine Bakery Community Room at 8 pm, see you there!

Oh, the photo below is of an elk herd grazing along the shoulder of the Alaska Highway, mid-way between Whitehorse and Haines Junction.

On the road again

Don Wright — 2007-11-22T01:48:55+01:00

Landed in Whitehorse this afternoon - I'll be visiting high schools and hosting film events, beginning Thursday in Haines Junction and continuing Friday through Sunday in Whitehorse.

The final count from the three-day Victoria AI Film Festival was about 850 audience members and 20 groups participating in the social action fair. The crowds will be smaller in the Yukon, but no less interested in seeing these compelling films and engaging in human rights activism.

By the way, the AI Canada film festival is a charter member of the Human Rights Film Network (HRFN), comprised of festivals around the world that focus on presenting films on human rights. The group's website is:

http://www.humanrightsfilmnetwork.org/

Victoria festival opens with a full house

Don Wright — 2007-11-19T06:58:06+01:00

The sixth annual Victoria AI Film Festival opened with a crowd of about 300 people Friday night, displays by twenty local and national non-governmental organizations, photos by James Rodriguez, and guest speakers. I had a chance to encourage audience members to call or write their MPs in support of a moratorium on police use of Tasers, the subject of much news coverage due to the release of the video showing the events leading up to the death of Robert Dziekanski. To read AI's recent public statement on the use of Tasers, click here

Photo below is festival director Mariko Miller.

Photos from film festival photo exhibition

Don Wright — 2007-11-15T03:58:44+01:00

Blogger Stephen Karr, who is also chair of the Vancouver Business and Human Rights group, has posted photos from the James A. Rodriguez photo exhibition featured at the AI Film Festival in Vancouver (the exhibition will also be on display this Friday and Saturday at the Victoria AI film festival, and the following weekend at the Toronto AI film festival).

http://ai-bhr.blogspot.com/2007/11/james-rodriguez-exhibit-and.html

AIFF - next stop: Victoria

Don Wright — 2007-11-14T06:29:16+01:00

The Amnesty International Film Festival heads for Victoria this weekend: Friday to Sunday, November 16-18 at the David Lam Auditorium at the University of Victoria. Help spread the word! Tell all your Victoria friends, family and list subscribers! Full program and times at;

http://www.amnestyfilmsvictoria.ca/

Audience choice award winners

Don Wright — 2007-11-14T06:16:29+01:00

The 12th annual Amnesty International Film Festival has wrapped up and the films are now on their way back to filmmakers around the world. There will be an extra item in three packages – an Audience Award certificate – which recognizes films that received the highest ratings from audience members attending the four-day festival. The winners are:

Gold Audience Award – War Dance

Silver Audience Award – Shame

Bronze Audience Award – New Year Baby

Following each film, audience members submitted ballots to ushers, rating films on a scale of one to five. Over 1600 ballots were collected for 21 films.

This is the third year we have asked the audience to rate films. Most of the films received an 80 percent or higher approval rating, so the competition for audience awards was quite intense.

By the way, four films attracted a full-house: War Dance, Burma’s Secret War, A World Without Water, and the Africa triple bill on Saturday (Massacre at Murambi, Children of Darfur, and Radio Okapi).

Thanks again to the Georgia Straight, The Tyee, Geist, Co-op Radio, CaJe Creative, The Hoch Foundation, DB Film and Photo, Vancity Theatre, and Videomatica for helping make this festival a great success!

Two full houses Friday night

Don Wright — 2007-11-10T21:28:43+01:00

The festival is going very well - two full houses Friday night for War Dance and Burma's Secret War. The audience responded very dramatically to War Dance - applauding when the boy won the zylophone and again when the school won the national award for best traditional dance. Of course we are drawing attention to Amnesty reports and actions that relate to film topics, and collecting signatures on a variety of petitions.

Our audiences have also been very impressed by the photo exhibition featuring the work of James A. Rodriguez - depicting evictions at El Estor, Guatemala, and with tables and displays in the lobby staffed by volunteers from a number of human rights and humanitarian agencies with local offices.

It's Saturday mid-day as I write this - an unusually warm and sunny day for Vancouver in November - so our numbers will probably suffer, although more than 70 people came for the first film, Made in China.

We have a long day ahead of us, and many excellent films to go - if you hven't looked at the program yet, please do so and consider joining us! - www.amnesty.ca/filmfest

Opening night a great success

Don Wright — 2007-11-09T15:40:30+01:00

Continuing a 4-year tradition, we opened the festival with a full house for A World Without Water, which was followed by a panel discussion featuring Carleen Pickard of the Council of Canadians and professor and author John Calvert. The social action fair was also a great success with much pre- and post-film audience engagement with NGO represenatives. Following the second film, Dia de Festa, we invited the audience to join us for an opening reception for the festival and the exhibition of photographs by James A. Rodriguez, portraying evictions at El Estor, Guatemala. The exhibition will be open throughout the festival. Thanks to Safeway for the donation of the cake!

Tonight we open War Dance with a visit by two drummers from the hit musical Umoja (they will perform from 6:45 to 7 pm), and close with Burma's Secret War - an inside look at the long-standing systematic abuse of human rights in Myanmar. Join us!

It's about engaging people

Don Wright — 2007-11-08T07:55:38+01:00

Close to 100 people attended the pre-festival forum last night, hearing from filmmakers Michelle Mason and Jack Silberman, NFB executive producer Tracey Friesen, and Omni Film development manager Michele McMahon.

All four panelists discussed film projects they have been involved in and the impact their films have had on audiences and film subjects. On the subject of selecting film topics, Jack noted that "stories find you and grab you, and something inside you says 'this is the one'." Tracey added that in selecting films for development, it often involves not only a gut reaction to film ideas, but to the passion demonstrated by the filmmaker. Tracey also said that the NFB is moving from "making films about communities to making films with communities" that are not otherwise well represented or whose voices are not being heard.

Michelle told the audience that good filmmaking is storytelling "that moves people" and results in a personal transformation. "The audience sees the world through someone else's eyes, sees the world in a new way - this is the impact a filmmaker can have."
Tracey noted that good filmmaking is about engaging people, not standing on a soapbox. Film has an important role in a society that "encourages debate and discussion."

Panelists also provided examples of ways activists and others have used their films to further social change, from promoting youth involvement in social issues and veteran involvement in post-war reconciliation, to fostering support for restricting the use of cluster munitions.

Thanks to Omni Film Productions, The Hoch Foundation, and Ethical Bean for supporting this event, to the filmmakers who participated, and to the audience for braving a cold and wet night to discuss how film can change the world.

Can film change the world?

Don Wright — 2007-11-06T22:32:26+01:00

Join us for a lively discussion on the impact human rights films have on audiences, film subjects, and the filmmakers themselves. Wednesday, November 7 at Heritage Hall, 3102 Main Street, Vancouver. Featuring Michelle Mason, filmmaker (Friendship Village, Breaking Ranks), Jack Silberman, filmmaker (Bombies, Raised to be Heroes) Tracey Friesen, NFB producer (Scared Sacred, Raised To Be Heroes, Breaking Ranks), and moderator Michele McMahon, AIFF chair and development manager, Omni Film Productions Ltd. Doors open at 6:30 pm, discusssion begins at 7 pm. No charge for admission.

Amnesty International Film Festival

Amnesty International Nelson 10th Annual Film Festival - January 21st, 2012

Amnesty International Nelson 10th Annual Film Festival

Saturday, January 21, 2010, Capitol Theatre, Nelson

Afternoon Showing Doors open at 1:00

1:30 pm Blood in the Mobile (Denmark, Germany, 82 minutes)

3:25 pm Children of War (Uganda, USA, 75 minutes)

Best Feature: Artivist International Film Festival (Los Angeles) Justice Award: Cinema for Peace (Berlin)

Evening Showing Doors open at 6:30

7: 00 pm When China Met Africa (UK-France, 75 minutes)

Winner, Best Filmmaker: Margaret Mead Film Festival (New York)

8:45 pm Cultures of Resistance (USA, 73 minutes)

Best Documentary on Human Rights Award: Steps International Film Festival (Ukraine)

-------------------------------------------------------

Tickets at the Capitol Theatre box office or online at www.capitoltheatre.bc.ca

$8 for each showing / $6 for students, seniors, fixed income

Audience Awards announced

Countdown to 16th annual AI film festival in Vancouver

Film presentation: Amnesty! When They Are All Free

Amnesty film nights in British Columbia

Is a world without water inevitable?

International Women's Day film night in Vancouver

Nelson hosts Amnesty International Film Festival

Amnesty International film festivals continue through weekend

Sneak preview of new film to replace unavailable film

Gala Opening in Vancouver one week away

Vancouver preparing for 15th anniversary

Film Screening: The Yes Men Fix the World

Film Screening: Enemies of the People

Victoria AI Film Festival opens tonight

Vancouver audience award winners announced

Less than a week to AIFF 2009 in Vancouver and Toronto

Vancouver 2009 program to feature gala opening

Save these dates for start of 09/10 film festival season!

DOXA film festival to present Devil's Bargain

Amnesty International Film Fesival - Nelson, BC

Amnesty International Film Night - Kaslo, BC

Amnesty International Film Night - Castlegar, BC

Amnesty International Film Night - Rossland, BC

Abbotsford AI Film Festival January 20, 2009

Audience selects award winners

Several directors to join audience in Vancouver

Two films shortlisted for AI Germany award

Memories of a Dreamer wins Best Documentary in Spain

Free public forum: can Hollywood do human rights?

Featured film wins two Gemini Awards

Amnesty International Toronto announces 2008 program

Vancouver 2008 program now posted

Fall 2008 film festival season programs coming soon!

War Dance: next stop Vernon, BC

War Dance to screen in Chilliwack

Call to filmmakers!

War Dance nominated for Academy Award

Sharing important stories on the road

Abbotsford film festival draws its biggest crowd in 6 years

Film Festival season takes a break - see you in the new year!

Small but enthusiatic crowd for Haines Junction film night

On the road again

Victoria festival opens with a full house

Photos from film festival photo exhibition

AIFF - next stop: Victoria

Audience choice award winners

Two full houses Friday night

Opening night a great success

It's about engaging people

Can film change the world?

Amnesty International Nelson 10^th Annual Film Festival

Best Feature: Artivist International Film Festival (Los Angeles)  Justice Award: Cinema for Peace (Berlin)

 Winner, Best Filmmaker: Margaret Mead Film Festival (New York)